Northville DDA pushes for downtown walking path
Source: metromode, 10/8/2009
Another nook and cranny is being planned for downtown Northville, now that city officials are planning to create a cut through.
A cut through is a pedestrian-only path, and in this case it would connect Main Street and the parking lot behind the Marquis Theatre. The $800,000 project would cut through one of the bays of the old Girly Daze building. Think something similar to Nickels Arcade in Ann Arbor, or a decorative walkway.
The
idea is to make downtown more pedestrian friendly by giving foot
traffic another option to get around. It would connect the vibrancy of
Main Street to a 200-spot parking lot.
"That lot is the most utilized lot in the downtown primarily because of its central location," says Lori Ward, director of the Northville Downtown Development Authority.
The city has hired Ann Arbor-based Cooper Design to create the cut-through and is planning to nail down the design this winter and start construction next spring.
Source: Lori Ward, director of the Northville Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ypsilanti's Aubree's expands into Northville, Wyandotte
Source: metromode, 9/3/2009
Aubree's, a staple of Ypsilanti's Depot
Town for decades, is spreading out across Metro Detroit, setting its
sights on Northville and Wyandotte.
The hugely successful
restaurant/bar has set up a number of satellite locations throughout
the Ypsilanti area, but this is its first foray outside of Washtenaw
County. Aubree's plans to open a large restaurant in Northville later
this month and has put an offer in for another location in Wyandotte.
The
Northville location will replace what was once an Uno's Chicago Grill
on Haggerty Road, just south of 8 Mile Road. The 6,800-square-foot
space will seat up to 270 people and employ about 150. The opening is
set for Sept. 21. Aubree's plans to capture the Northville, Farmington,
and Plymouth markets with the new location.
"It's a community we think our product and concept will do well in that area," says Andy French, CFO of Aubree's Pizzeria & Tavern and a partner in the Northville location.
Aubree's
also recently put an offer in on what used to be a Damon's in
Wyandotte. One of its vendors suggested the place and sold the
co-owners on the city. The partners are keeping an open mind for future
expansions, but haven't singled out any specific communities yet.
"We are looking to continue to grow if we find opportunities that work for us," French says.
Source: Andy French, CFO of Aubree's Pizzeria & Tavern
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County pushes for land bank to deal with foreclosures
Source: metromode, 7/30/2009
Oakland County is beginning to publish
its stock of foreclosed buildings electronically to prepare them for
auction. However, at least one Oakland County official would like to
see this process changed -- with a land bank.
Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner
sees a number of things wrong with the auction process. It's why he is
pushing for Oakland County to form a land bank, as many other Michigan
communities have done, to handle its problem properties.
"There are some perils with the auction approach," Meisner says.
For
instance, speculators are scooping up large batches of these homes and,
at best, turning them into rentals. More than people like to admit end
up falling further into blight and becoming eyesores, weakening what
were once otherwise strong neighborhoods. Meisner says this sort of
speculation is the junk food of the real estate market, supplying
short-term profits at the expense of long-term investment.
"We're rolling up our sleeves and trying to get families in those houses," Meisner says.
He
adds that a land bank gives local officials the power to package
parcels and sell them to a developer or even ensure that individual
buildings end up in the hands of local residents. Right now he is
trying to build up awareness about the idea, and hopes to begin a
legislative push for one later this year.
Source: Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner
Writer: Jon Zemke
Main Street Oakland County brings in AIA Michigan for workshops
Source: metromode, 6/18/2009
Main Street Oakland County is bringing in a big gun to help keep the investment in its downtowns going - the American Institute of Architects Michigan.
The renowned association for architects is helping Oakland County with issues vital to vibrant city centers, such as sustainability, revitalization, and preservation. AIA Michigan members will provide advice about how to best take advantage of tools and opportunities that spur growth and development.
"The idea is to help businesses understand what is going on," says Ron Campbell, principal planner/preservation architect of Oakland County and president of AIA Michigan.
The first workshop will be held Friday, June 19 and will focus on dealing with and taking advantage of today's economic situation. It will also take a macro view of development in downtowns, including how to find the best design and identify financing.
The downtowns present opportunities for all sizes of projects and firms," Campbell says.
The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph Road, in Waterford. Architects, planners, preservationists, Main Street staffers, developers, business and building owners, community officials, and downtown stakeholders and activists are invited. For information, click here.
Source: Ron Campbell, principal planner/preservation architect of Oakland County and president of AIA Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County to hold workshop on zoning flexibility
Source: metromode, 6/4/2009
Oakland County officials want local
governments to become more flexible in their zoning rules and master
plans, and now they're ready to teach them how to do it.
The
county wants municipalities to be ready to welcome and facilitate
growth from new economy firms; hence, it will hold a Technology
Planning Toolkit workshop on Monday, June 8.
"We hope they can
use this as a basis when they update their own planning documents,"
says Bret Rasegan, planning supervisor for Oakland County.
It introduced this program
as a way of making local governments friendlier to knowledge-based
firms. By streamlining the old bureaucracy, the hope is to make these
cities more attractive for new economy start-ups and their new jobs.
For instance, buildings zoned for one purpose can be diversified to
include a number of uses.
"It's very important, especially with how quickly the market is changing," Rasegan says.
The
free workshop will be held at the Oakland County Executive Office
Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph
in Waterford. For information, call (248) 452-2166 or send an email to browningj@oakgov.com.
Source: Brett Rasegan, planning supervisor for Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke
WaterWheel Centre goes from blight to gem in downtown Northville
Source: metromode, 1/22/2009
The WaterWheel Centre is a classic example that not all old buildings are blight.
Eyesore is
what a lot of local residents saw when they looked at 235 E Main St.
after Ford pulled out of it. The Albert Kahn-designed building had
fallen a long ways since Henry Ford commissioned it as one his last
community industry buildings. This factory, which once made the valves
in every Ford for the heart of the 20th Century, stood empty when
Richard Cox found it in 1994.
"They actually were thinking of
tearing the building down," Cox says. "I rebuild cars and when I saw
the building I knew it was a diamond in the rough."
He initially kept it as manufacturing space for his company, giving the surrounding green space to the city for a park.
But
the 52,000-square-foot facility was too big for just him. Luckily
people were starting to take notice of his offices there, so he started
to rent some of that space out. A little more than 10 years later it
made the transition from brownfield industrial to edgy downtown offices.
Today
six companies and a health club occupy the ground floor and basement
area. HSK Architecture is moving in early this year, creating an
absolutely beautiful space, according to Cox.
"They could pay more per square foot than I could for manufacturing," Cox says.
Those
companies weren't the only ones taking notice. Ford officials brought
in people from around the world to show off how nicely it was renovated
before buying the sister buildings to it in Australia. All because of
how well Cox shinned up the old structure in Northville.
Source: Richard Cox, owner and general manager of the WaterWheel Centre
Writer: Jon Zemke
Meetings set for development of regional transit plan
Source: metromode, 3/27/2008
Moving mass transit forward in Metro Detroit is starting to gain momentum. So much so that Metro Detroit's Regional Transportation Coordinating Council (what's left of DARTA) is hosting public meetings in early April to come up with a regional transit plan, a subject that hasn't been seriously debated publicly for years.
Work to begin on Northville's Center Street Square
Source: metromode, 3/20/2008
The old is out to make room for the new in downtown Northville. Three old houses have been razed and now construction workers are getting ready to start building Center Street Square.